Police officer accused of domestic violence related offences

Joshua Shane Woods, 33, of Grasmere, appeared at Moss Vale Local Court on May 18. He pleaded guilty to charges of common assault, use carriage service to menace/harass/offend, and stalk/intimidate intend fear physical harm. Woods, a senior constable, has been stationed at Fairfield and Camden.

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The victim said her "life had been deeply affected" by Woods' actions.

In a victim impact statement read aloud to the court she said: "I became depressed and paranoid, it has taken a long time to move past these feelings."

"I will never forget the degrading feeling of having him spit on my face."

The victim said she now experienced "extreme phone anxiety" which made "day-to-day life very difficult".

She told the court she had "frequent nightmares" about the events.

The offender's father, a retired police officer, presented evidence in the witness stand. He said his son had joined the NSW Police force in 2014.

He told the court that Woods had "gone out and sought medical assistance and counselling".

"I 100 per cent support that this won't happen again."

He told the court that Woods had commenced a relationship with another woman who was currently eight-and-a-half months pregnant.

The Director of Public Prosecutions prosecutor told the court that the offences occurred between March 19, 2018 and July 6, 2019 before the couple separated in September 2019.

She said Woods had "threatened to shoot his wife and anyone she was seeing".

Defence solicitor Gallagher acknowledged that "general and specific deterrence was important".

He urged Magistrate Mark Douglass to consider an Intensive Corrections Order rather than imprisonment.

Mr Gallagher said Woods' behaviour "stemmed from jealousy" and "ultimately lead to the separation of the two parties in September 2019".

He argued his client had shown "contrition and remorse".

Woods' will reappear at Moss Vale Local Court on May 28 for sentencing.

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